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The Strange Case of the Russian Spy Poisoning

March 13, 2018

Applying the principle of cui bono – who benefits? – to the case of Sergei Skripal might lead investigators away from the Kremlin as the prime suspect and towards Western intelligence agencies, argues James O’Neill.

By James O’Neill

The suspected nerve agent attack upon former Russian intelligence officer Sergei Skripal, which also affected his daughter in the English city of Salisbury last Sunday, has given rise to too much speculation, too much hysteria, and too little analysis or insight. It has provided ammunition for the Russophobic Western media to make accusations that it was another example of Russia in general and Vladimir Putin in particular disposing of a supposed enemy of the Kremlin.

Sergei Skripal was found critically with his daughter on March 4 and were taken to hospital sparking a major incident in the UK. Photo: Getty

As with the Mueller investigation into the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election there are accusations with varying degrees of wildness, but little or no actual evidence that would get past first base in any independent court of law.

First, what are the known facts, only some of which have been accurately reported in the western mainstream media? The victim (assuming it was a deliberate attack upon him and his daughter) was formerly a Colonel in the Russian military intelligence service (the GRU). This is the largest of the Russian intelligence agencies and, as with its western equivalents, has a wide variety of functions, of which “spying” is only one.

In the early 1990s Skripal was recruited by an MI6 agent Pablo Miller, whom the British media declined to name. Miller was an MI6 agent in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. Miller’s main task was recruiting Russians to provide information about their country to the British. An interesting fact, possibly coincidental, was that the MI6 officer under diplomatic cover in Moscow at this time was Christopher Steele. Steele was later to become better known as the principal author of the infamous Trump dossier.

When Steele returned to London, he ran MI6’s Russia desk between the 2006 and 2009. The information that Skripal disclosed would have been given to Steele, first in Moscow and later in London.

Skripal was arrested in 2004. In 2006 he was convicted of treason and sentenced to 18 years imprisonment. In 2010 he was released as part of a prisoner exchange deal with Russian spies in U.S. jails. He went to live in the United Kingdom where he has lived in supposed retirement ever since. Another interesting fact, although again possibly coincidental, is that Salisbury, where Skripal lived, is only about 12 kilometres from Porton Down, the U.K.’s principal research centre for nerve agents.

If the Russians had wanted to kill him, they had ample opportunity to do so during the years when he was imprisoned or the eight years he lived in retirement in Salisbury. If they did wish to kill him, it is not a very credible that they would do so very publicly and by a means that could not be bought off the shelf in the local pharmacy. The handling and the administering of these very dangerous substances require professional expertise. The obvious candidates for the attempted murder are therefore government agencies, but which government is the unanswered question.

This is where the facts become thinner, but the interesting connections of Skripal offer scope for some tentative hypotheses. While living in Salisbury, Skripal became friendly, according to a report in the UK newspaper the Daily Telegraph, with none other than the aforementioned Pablo Miller – whom the Telegraph declined to name but has since been identified on the web.

Miller is now working with a British security consultancy named Orbis Business Intelligence. Again according to the Telegraph, Miller’s association with this company has now been removed from Miller’s LinkedIn profile.

The obvious question again is: why do so now?

Orbis is the same private intelligence agency as that of Christopher Steele. It seems more than a mere coincidence that the same three men who had personal and professional links going back to the 1990s should have a continuing association at the same time as the Steele dossier was being compiled and later as the so-called Russiagate inquiry was imploding. Former FBI Director James Comey described the Steele dossier as “salacious and unverified” in a Senate hearing.

The former British ambassador Craig Murray has suggested on his blog that a motive for the attempted murder of Skripal and his daughter was to further promote the anti-Russian hysteria that inflicts the Western media and the body politic.

That is certainly plausible, and it has certainly been one of the consequences, as the abysmal coverage of the ABC among other outlets makes clear. But an alternative hypothesis presents itself in the light of the above facts, and this hypothesis has not even been mentioned, let alone discussed by our major media.

My admittedly speculative hypothesis (but I would argue, not an unreasonable one) is that Skripal was likely involved in the production of the Steele dossier. He was therefore in a position to offer potentially very damaging information into the circumstances of the Steele dossier. As noted above, that particular narrative has not only spectacularly collapsed, but the revelations reflect very badly on, among others, the U.S. intelligence community, the FBI, the Democratic National Committee, the Obama White House and the Clinton campaign.

In any major criminal enquiry one of the basic questions the investigation asks is: who had the means, the motive and the opportunity? Framed in that light, the Russians come a distant fourth behind the other prime suspects; the U.S. and U.K. intelligence agencies themselves, and those elements of the deep state that sought to prevent Trump winning, and subsequently to undermine his presidency. The primary motive being ascribed to the Russians is revenge for Skripal’s treachery more than a decade ago.

A second major question asked in any criminal investigation is cui bono – who benefits? It is difficult to perceive a credible argument that Russia is a beneficiary of Skripal’s poisoning.

Further support for the hypothesis that this was a false flag operation comes in this statement that British Prime Minister to Theresa May made to the UK Parliament. The statement was frankly absurd and could only have been made when the intention was to further demonize and punish Russia, rather than any attempt to establish the truth and apply ordinary principles of evidence and factual analysis.

May’s argument is thoroughly deconstructed on the Moon of Alabama website, which pointed out that Russia had destroyed all left over stocks from the Soviet Union’s chemical weapon program and does not currently produce chemical weapons. Further, there are any number of governments capable of carrying out the Salisbury attack. “If someone is run-over by a BMW is it ‘highly likely’ that the German government is responsible for it?” the Moon of Alabama asks.

The obfuscations of the British reinforce in the view that Skripal was dangerous to the anti-Trump forces and the authorities therefore sought to have them removed. There is ample precedent for such actions and those familiar with the “suicide” of Dr. David Kelly will recognize the parallels.

The chances of the truth emerging have become vanishingly small at the same time as a serious conflict with Russia becomes correspondingly greater.

James O’Neill is a Barrister at Law and geopolitical analyst. He can be reached at joneill@qldbar.asn.au.

168 comments for “The Strange Case of the Russian Spy Poisoning”

Over a long enough time, patterns emerge. Anyone who has read thrillers about the detection of serial murderers will be familiar with the slow, painstaking process of fitting together the pieces.

I would like to point out a third data point in a faint, but perhaps distinguishable pattern.

1. The Skripal case.

2. The “suicide” of Dr David Kelly.

3. The “suicide” of Dr Alan Turing in 1954.

Most popular accounts of Alan Turing’s death state that he killed himself by biting into a “cyanide-laced” apple. This appears plausible, given that he was found dead in bed, with an apple into which he had apparently bitten lying on the bedside table.

In the adjacent “nightmare room”, where Turing kept a small chemistry lab, a vessel containing a cyanide solution was found. The inference was made that he had coated the apple with cyanide and then taken a bite – like Snow White in the fairy tale.

However the truth is that no one ever tested the apple for cyanide or any other poison.

Having been sentenced to a horrible “chemical castration” through hormone injections for the crime of being homosexual, Turing surprisingly took it in very good spirit, even joking about his incipient breasts. Moreover, by the time of his death the “treatment” was a year or more in the past.

Turing had professional commitments the following day, left no note, and gave absolutely no hint that he was contemplating suicide. On the contrary, he was doing tremendously important research and no doubt relishing the challenge. It was what he lived for.

Alternatively, it has been suggested that Turing poisoned himself accidentally, through carelessness in handling the cyanide. This seems unlikely, as he was an expert chemist and knew exactly what he was doing.

Tom, dear, did you live in Germany in the late1960’s through the early 1990’s? I did. Joe knows my dad was Army 1959-1962,Artillary Gelnhausen, Germany. My point to you, is that people want power. How in your world is that unlikely? We are left with a world that cares about money above all else. We are left with the riches that people on this planet have . Do you not get it? We want the richest people to inherit the earth, it is their birthright. Stop asking silly questions,

“A second major question asked in any criminal investigation is cui bono – who benefits? It is difficult to perceive a credible argument that Russia is a beneficiary of Skripal’s poisoning…The obfuscations of the British reinforce in the view that Skripal was dangerous to the anti-Trump forces and the authorities therefore sought to have them removed. There is ample precedent for such actions and those familiar with the “suicide” of Dr. David Kelly will recognize the parallels.” Yes, CUI BONO?

Jeremy Corbyn’s response to Theresa May’s presumptuous speech demonizing Putin was rather courageous and resulted in some backbiting by his own Labour colleagues. Among other things he mentioned large donations to Britain’s Conservative Party by Russian oligarchs.

Corbyn again demonstrates honesty and spine.
According to the Russian news site Gazeta.ru, usually very reliable, May threatens sanctions, withdrawal from the upcoming World Cup in football (soccer), and increased military presence in Eastern Europe. NATO top Stoltenberg explains that NATO is behind Britain in this act of war.
Looks like the West wants to cook a lot of soup on this story!
Do we citizens really buy it yet again?
Beexit sometimes looks like a good thing. The U.K. again lives up to its special relation.

Indeed the British security regime has its filthy fingerprints on a variety of crimes. Their record shows that Britain, by passing the official secrets act way back in the Edwardian era, took leave of the rule of law at that time. Since Britain is the model for all anglo-Saxon states, including those now more powerful than the UK, we can see how the lack of the rule of law has led us to the brink of disastrous consequences over time.

It moves the case for war with Russia further along. This is what false flag events are for. And with so many people buying into Russia Gate, it’s not going to take a lot for people to give their permission to go to war. The war that was planned during the Obama administration. There has been an influx of troops and military equipment into Poland and other countries that have a border with Russia. Add in the weapons that were sent to the Nazis in Ukraine, and it’s looking more and more like we are going for regime change in Russia. This will not end well for anyone.

Abby; the Yanks are still a bit unsure about regime change in North Korea which has next to nothing compared with Russia, so I think your fears are a little premature. Of course, something could suddenly flare up or go wrong, but that’s another matter.

Stuff is going wrong, both the UK and the US are insolvent. That’s the problem. The movie of “Wag the Dog” comes to mind when the UK Pound and US Dollar implodes with a hot war kindly supplied by Russia Gate

I think the US MIC has decided that war with Russia now will be much better than war with Russia later. Because right now (according to Putin in his March 1 address) Russia has new weaponry. The questions for the US MIC is how many of these new weapons does Russia currently have?
For if you were hell bent on starting a war, would you start it now, when your adversary has the fewest number of new weapons, or later when they will have scores of them?
I believe the US will start its war now and quickly in both Syria and in Ukraine. And I think they feel they can buy China off by telling them that they only want regime change. I dearly hope I am wrong.

The real thing that is lacking in any argument other than it was a false flag incident, is that it was a ridiculously elaborate way to get rid of someone. The dramatic method of this attack tells you it was clearly government (deep state, CIA MI6 etc) inspired and was calculated to damage Russia.

Well, BobH, this man Skripol was a double agent and used by both sides in the spying game. I employ the word USED as this is what he has been all along with most other spy’s. As far as the British are concerned, they have obviously decided to USE him again and this time the deep state criminals have decided to take his life to damage Russia so he has been used three times. If you take up spying for the evil state then you turn yourself into a slave and expendable.

Well said john wilson. Useful idiots they are called. I can see young people being fooled into such a role, but not older adults, or when those young people become older, upper twenties to early thirties say. Insanity breeds insanity apparently.

“[The Russian public] simply does not believe that President [Vladimir] Putin or anyone in the Russian intelligence would order such a murky way of getting rid of this person – poisoning him in a public place with a highly dangerous substance,” said Babich.

and

“Theresa May has a lot of problems because of the failure in the parliamentary elections, Brexit, and the complicated situation with the border between Ireland and the Northern Ireland,” Markov told Al Jazeera.

“So the British intelligence service probably organised the killing of Mr Skripal, sacrificing the guy who they don’t need any more.”

The British claim that the Novichok nerve agent was only accessible to the Russian government was untrue, he added.

I’d never heard of this one, so on to Wiki:

Novichok (…”newcomer”, “newbie” or “new guy”) is a series of nerve agents that were developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s. Allegedly these are the most deadly nerve agents ever made, with some variants possibly five to eight times more potent than VX.

Deadliest nerve gas ever, yet the two victims are still alive. Odd how such a precise dosage was managed. Assuming of course the Brits aren’t just lying about the poison.

The whole story stinks to high heaven, and I’ve got to conclude that the entire exercise was either to silence a potential threat to Hillary’s Russiagate, or as a generic attempt to tar and feather the evil Russians — again.

Another unbelievably incendiary false flag carried out either by the CIA or the MI6 to smear Russia right before its elections and to sabotage the World Cup games. Clearly this is all out hybrid war by the Anglosphere against its chief economic/geopolitical competitors. My basis for saying this: far more precedent and rational logic than Ms. May has applied to the situation. As everyone (except for Washington and its supplicants) immediately points out, there is a government bio-weapons factory just down the road from the scene. One clearly possible scenario is that the “victims” were engaged in furtively disseminating such stuff to ISIS and other Western proxies in the global war on Washington’s competition. They either got careless or they got unwittingly snuffed by their own handlers for a “higher cause.” I think this explanation makes eminently more sense than anything out of 10 Downing Street. But, you fools enjoy your war, since you’ve basically declared one on Russia. We’ll see what consequences your words have. Unfortunately, you will destroy everyone else along with your own sorry hides.

” As everyone (except for Washington and its supplicants) immediately points out, there is a government bio-weapons factory just down the road from the scene.”

That’s actually incorrect…

The MSM does not report the location of the factory, just “irrelevant” small news and other websites (a.k.a. “conspiracy websites). And even if the factory is mentioned in the MSM, its relevance is certainly downplayed. In another word, the majority of the people had already filed this incident as “the Russians did it…”, like any other previous questionable origin for the incident. Don’t underestimate the MSM’s training the masses about what to think, the conclusion to be drawn from the event and other activities.

Disclaimer…

I do agree with the article’s conclusion. Russia had ample opportunity to terminate their former spy, no reason to do do that decades later and especially in public places. This has been a risky operation for the shadow government at either side of the pond….

What I’ve said is that most people rely on MSM and trust it blindly to form their views. For the majority of them, just the headline is good enough to parrot the MSM’s judgment without reading up on the subject.

Sites like CN and others can discuss/suggest alternative theory about the incident on hand, but…

1.) They are overpowered by the MSM and it never makes it to the masses
2.) The theory represented by alternative sites is just that, theory, however accurate it seems to be

While the MSM has no proof of their “theory” either, citing “official sources” makes them more trustworthy for the masses than some small website that being ran by who knows whom.

And this where the small, or lesser known news or websites fail to increase their relevance…

You can call MSM “supplicant” and “not coy”, they are the media that shapes public opinion. Try to explain to some of your friends/relatives that NYT, WAPO, etc., are propaganda outlets and see how far it’ll take you…

So? Everyone who frequents this site knows all that. You are not revealing anything new, nor countering any “fallacy” that needs correction. Christ, you actually believed I was implying that every person on earth other than officials of the U.S. government and its vassal states is onto to the ruse being perpetrated by Washington and London? “Everybody knows” is an expression commonly applied to a circle of people having a discussion and need not include all sentient beings in the universe. Do you enjoy being such a hidebound literalist? Yes, you have annoyed me.

Linda Wood

March 13, 2018 at 5:47 pm

Try to explain to some of your friends/relatives that NYT, WAPO, etc., are propaganda outlets and see how far it’ll take you…

It takes you pretty far if your son or daughter was killed in Iraq, or if you’ve seen what the war in Afghanistan has led to first hand, or if you’ve lived long enough to know the Gulf of Tonkin incident in Vietnam was false information. I think you underestimate how ugly the word CIA is in the minds of most Americans.

I remember after first reading about the Skripal father and daughter poisoning I thought of how interesting their connection to Christopher Steele was, and of how Steele is a likely suspect as well. In fact Steele may prove to be more suspicious than any Russian. What if Skripal knew to much about the phony Steele Dossier? So I wonder could Skripal been poisoned to eliminate an informant? Joe

It’s really becoming scary, not only this nonsense, but I’m sure you heard Tillerson is out, and Pompeo is in as secretary of state, and Gina Haspel, who ran a black site in Thailand is now in charge of the CIA. God, it’s getting scary. Pompeo with his anti-Iran deal agenda is now aligned with Trump on that issue. Pompeo’s pro-Israeli sentiments, his anti-Russia sentiments are scary. There goes any hope of a normal relationship with Russia, and Israel may just have us fight a war in Iran. Those neoconservatives must be thrilled. Hope Consortium News runs an article on this developing news.

“Hope Consortium News runs an article on this developing news.”…I’m sure someone is working on it right now, Annie. But, yes, it’s scary news, although I believe Haspel’s nomination could have opposition. As far as Secretary of State goes, Pompeo may be a jackass warhawk, but I think we all know Jared Kushner is the de facto Sec. of State and that thought is even less comforting, as he takes his cues directly from Tel Aviv(or should I now say Jerusalem).

Annie

March 13, 2018 at 7:06 pm

Bob H. Pompeo is a hawk on every issue and he’s got Trump’s backing on every issue. We need someone who headed the CIA as a secretary of state? He’s a hawk on Russia, against the Iran deal, and now the CIA is in an official position of political power. Tillerson offered some balance,

Dave P.

March 13, 2018 at 8:17 pm

Sure, it is getting scarier. I think the first target is war on Syria by “The West”. The ancient city of Damascus is the only one left which is not completely destroyed as yet. They, these new barbarians, will take care of it.

Annie I wish there were something good to say about Trump’s rearrangement of his Cabinet and CIA Director’s position, but I’m seeing his changing out of personnel as a bad sign of things to come. Will America go to war with Iran? Well between all of the Neoconservatives and the AIPAC owned U.S. Congress, and throw in a president who has bought into the Iran is bad theme, then placing your bet on war does make sense.

Read the Paul Craig Roberts link irina left for you. Although PCR is going towards attacking identity politics, as he fears the plight of the American white male, his comments on Trump’s replacing Tillerson with Pompeo, and his putting the torture mistress Gina Haspel in charge of the CIA, is beyond reasonable comprehension, that is unless one is planning on going to war.

Annie you are always speaking about how tough it is to converse with family and friends who to us seem seriously misinformed, well now this disconnect will become our biggest obstacle to prevent our country from going to war with Iran.

I feel for the many Jews who may someday suffer from the backlash from all of what the Netanyahu’s of that stolen little nation Israel has conjured up. I’m throughly convinced that the leaders of Israel are blinded by their own ambitions, and that our U.S. politicians are way too beholden to this Zionist cabal.

Annie I wrote to you, Andrew and Jose yesterday on the comment board under Ray McGovern’s article, and my comments went into moderation, well finally you may read them. Stay calm, and follow your instincts, because no matter what you’ll do fine. Joe

Annie

March 13, 2018 at 11:39 pm

Joe Tedesky, I read the article from Newsweek on Oliver Stone and it didn’t piss me off, it made me laugh. I once wrote a paper in college where my main thesis was that although America would make you believe it encourages individuality, it demands conformity in most aspects of our lives. I thought I might get a D, or an F. I got an A which was quite encouraging. My issue with the educational system is that it does not encourage analytical thinking, and that’s true for higher education as well. I think it plays a significant role in why people are so vulnerable to propaganda. I also realize that we are raised to have a patriotic fervor and believe America is the exceptional nation which allows US propaganda to also grab hold so easily. I don’t want to be critical of people’s religious beliefs, but once again people are asked to accept things on faith alone, and that’s okay, but it doesn’t encourage critical thinking either. Look at how my senator from NY who used the Torah to make his argument as to why the land of Palestine belongs to the Jewish people, but since Muslims do not believe in the Torah they just don’t get it. It was a papal bull that gave Columbus, and those who followed, the justification to plunder the land of the indigenous people’s of the America’s and used Jesus as their excuse. We plunder the world under the umbrella of spreading democracy, and so it goes. I don’t agree there will be backlash against Jewish people because Zionist Israel has a political agenda to gain more regional power. If anything it is quite apparent to me that the American people care little for the lives of Muslims.

Joe Tedesky

March 14, 2018 at 1:29 am

Annie it’s not a cliche to say that teaching is for everyone. Teaching is truly a talented gift. In my life where I respected the teacher the most by mostly fearing the teacher I either did very good or I skipped class. I use to sell blank report cards in high school. I’d get them through a friend in supply who sold them to me for a dollar, and I’d turn around and sell the unused report card all nice and brand new straight off the printing press for 5 smack a roo’s $5 yeah that 4% really adds up I’ll tell ya.

What happened with the ex-Russian Skripal father/daughter victims of poisoning by whomever and the way Theresa May and the MSM is handling it needs a citizenry with a knowledge for analytical thinking. Like Assad, why would Putin order such a slap shot assassination attempt? I guess there could be a genius for such a plan as to make Machiavelli jealous, but I doubt it, because at this moment Putin is on top with his new weapon announcement and his overall worldwide opinion rating that Putin does not need too impress anyone with his stupidity. Instead Putin will let that too the likes of Theresa May and David Corn & Michael Isikoff do it for him…did I mention Megyn Kelly & the Rachel/Joy Ann ‘We Hate Putin’ show….oh their out there alright. If I do decide to go to a bomb shelter and somebody let’s me in if I get door guard duty I’m not letting any of those people in… no not even Megyn, so don’t anybody go there.

If it means anything I was one of those 7th graders who preferred when I had a choice to be in 703 with the dumb kids. Nothing against the smart kids, but the dumb kids weren’t so dumb as the smart kids,I found out, weren’t always that smart.

I think school should set a sense of discipline… I guess there’s a time and place for everything, but as my Italian uncles and cousins would always demand out of me…hey, show a little respect, was what you got.

Believe it or not, if things continually get worst and as these events could develope, like this false flag attempted assassination by poison there could become a time where we all, even us who descent to our nation’s love of war, that we could be driven to a blind patriotism…I mean when it comes down to that bunch coming over the hill and it’s you and family, why there’s no tell’n what a fella or gal might have to do to protect there family…. but what we have here, is tomorrow ask a fellow worker a friend, a police officer or a probation officer, if they even know a little bit or anything about Sergei Skripal and his daughter… tell me what happens, and if you get the answer I think you will get it will be Crickets and Owls. I sure hope Annie someone doesn’t make you buy lunch for asking such an off beat question.

Annie there’s a reason all those Silicone Valley Rich nerds are buying up places in New Zealand… just ask KiwiAntz. I’m not trying to scare you Annie or anyone else, but this beyond being nonsense to the further extremes of America and the UK and their going after Russia is insane, and at this point in this evolution we should do our best to see how to alert people, but if they can’t be reached then stand under a doorway or buy several,dozen rolls of duct tape to prepare yourself, but no don’t do that. Personally I’ll be one of the ones in the middle of the street opening up a six pack after 26 years sober, and lighting up a Lucky Strike after 5 years of quitting smoking if they still make Lucky Strikes I don’t know ..but that will be the day that that’s that, and that’s all that’s there, or was there, I’ll be thinking that anyway ..I’ll be drunk and puffing myself to death I don’t need nukes.

On the Jewish backlash thing I do believe there is an already uprise being reported of anti-Semitic violence. I think our American MSM by shying away from reporting it, is disingenuous. as our MSM is purposely disingenuous to the Jewish by not covering the words of Miko Peled or Gideon Levy who speak an entirely different reasoning than the Zionist, and by hiding this alternative Jewish sentiment the non-Jewish of our nation miss the opportunity to hear other Jewish opinions. Jews I don’t believe are as lock stepped as to be believed, as for example the American young Jewish who are out there protesting alongside BDS…or at least that’s what has been reported. In short we should quit with the broad brush of everything, because what we get is the broadside of nothing. Joe

John Watwood

March 14, 2018 at 8:04 am

It is indeed getting scarier. Just when one thought the insanity couldn’t get any more insane and asinine. Hooboy. I’m in complete concurrence with you Annie.

Rob Roy

March 15, 2018 at 12:55 am

The creeping fascism is creeping a little faster each day. We’re Germany in the 30s.

Yes, the Steele connection and the anti-Russia pitching of the incident is nearly a confession that this was a false-flag intended to cover up a US/UK conspiracy, likely related to the Steele dossier. I too suspect that Skripal was involved in continuing double agent operations, as he is reported to have maintained handlers on both sides. If Skripal or his daughter survive, their opinions of the cause will be interesting, but likely diversionary.

Sam F you nailed it! People here in the UK dont also understand that May must know this and is lying.Whilst many MPs are simply stupid she has access to many advisors and must know its a false flag and what its purpose is…..

Theresa May is doing a “Tony Blair” – repeat of the wmd Iraq war justification, it seems .

Dave P.

March 13, 2018 at 8:30 pm

Most likely, May and a few others in the government must have hand in planning these false flag operations or at least some clue of it beforehand. Especially this latest one, which is filled with many dangers for the entire World. We are witness to this complete insanity taking over “The West”. The economic rise of China has unhinged them completely. Russia is back on its feet; they had thought that they had taken care of Russia. They can not stand it. They are hell-bent upon disrupting the Russian Election and the World Soccer Cup.

The leaders of these Imperial Nations of The West are living in their grand imperial delusions;, they have no respect for the sovereignty of Nations beyond The West. It seems like that these not so sane leaders in The West are going to take the Whole World down with them.

I concur completely. Their Imperialistic mind sets are thousands of years out of date. Primitive. They are so psychopathic, criminally insane, and animalistic; they cannot stand for anything to be alive or living without their expressed permission. We as a species have already extincted 55% of all life on this planet and we are expediting that each and every day. If people do not wake up now, it will be too late. Great comment Dave P.

David Otness

March 14, 2018 at 6:55 pm

I believe you have it nailed, Dave P.
Same conclusions I’ve come to. Human nature is the only thing giving the heads and bureaucracies of Western national states what credibility they yet have. It’s a conditioned habit to ‘keep the faith’ with them in the delusional belief they will keep us safe and it will all work out OK in the end.
Those of us willing to look our ‘leaders’ in the eye have the profound knowledge of much history to know how easily events can and do spin out of control. Especially with such overweening egos that are currently parading on the world stage.
All of this chest-thumping belligerence since the U.S./NATO forced Putin’s hand in Crimea is coming due for a “I’ve had enough” response.
Lights out. All over the world.

exiled off mainstreet

March 13, 2018 at 12:44 pm

The logic of the piece is compelling and obvious. The location of the incident, less than 15KM from the British nerve gas research centre at Porton Down, points to the real perpetrators, and the cui bono argument points their way as well. Jeremy Corbyn’s refusal to go along with the obvious false flag story marks him out as a courageous enemy of the power structure. The massive propaganda central organisation in control of all commercial western media is the major thing which keeps all of this from unravelling. The end result if this structure maintains control is, indeed, the end result for everything as a result of nuclear war.

Britain’s media regulator Ofcom says it will “consider the implications for RT’s broadcast licenses” if it’s determined there was “an unlawful use of force by the Russian state against the UK” in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal.

As if a leader with Putin’s demonstrated caution, reserve, and rigorous adherence to the rule of law, already facing a deluge of unfounded accusations of homicidal crimes by the West, would set out to prove beyond all doubt that he is another Stalin. Yet it is Britain characterising these events as an “act of war” against their country. Such provocations have usually been responded to in kind. If they are going to push the notion that this is war with Russia to the hilt, civilisation is just about at an end, and Britain and its spawn the United States will be the responsible parties. The immensity of the allegations and potential consequences here cannot be overstated.

AT the RT site I discovered another motive for the current big uproar.

West launches massive campaign to kick ‘inconvenient’ Russia out of UN Security Council – Senator

On Wednesday, Labor MP Chris Leslie addressed May on the issue of reforming the UN Security Council in order to limit Russia’s rights within the body during a parliament session.

Leslie argued that Russia was “increasingly looking like a rogue state,” adding that “we must now begin to talk about reform” of the UNSC. “Russia can’t be allowed to simply sit pretty, thumbing its nose to the rest of the world community and feeling that it’s immune from the rule of law internationally,” Leslie said.

May responded by saying that Leslie was not the only one to stress the need for changes within the UNSC, promising that “this is something that we will look at.”

“We do talk to the United Nations about the reform of the UN in a whole variety of ways. Of course, any decision – the Catch 22 if you like – is that any decision that might be taken in the Security Council to reform it, of course, could be subject to a veto by Russia, who are sitting there,” the prime minister said.

The British authorities have not yet been able to provide even a rough outline of events in Salisbury, i.e. they don’t know when or where these persons were allegedly poisoned, how the poison may have been administered, or even the vaguest hint of any person or persons who might be considered a suspect. The British government’s claim that Russia is “highly likely” to be responsible is simply yet another assertion, lacking evidence. The May government is weak, and so running to the barricades such as they have is not an unprecedented political gambit. Once again it is the mainstream media – particularly in the Anglo 5-Eyes countries – which is most responsible for generating hysteria and assembling the lynch mob. Mere assertion quickly becomes “fact”, and Russia’s “punishment” has already been decided.

Like the anthrax attacks in America in 2001, there is an immediate purpose served by the attack itself (which we are witnessing today). It’s almost predictable that there will follow no conclusive investigation, no actual “proof” of anything, just lingering suspicions.

“they don’t know when or where these persons were allegedly poisoned, how the poison may have been administered …” Good point, jaycee. The news reports dance around this, by providing dramatic footage of people wandering around in hamzat suits. By now, there should be an image from cctv of someone approaching them in this public place – if that is how the poison was administered.

The daughter had just returned from Russia. I did wonder if she had brought the substance with her, and they mishandled it. That is mere speculation.

I wonder if there is any connection with the recent Washington Shuffle… It’s interesting to note that Trump has a reported fear of poisoning[1,2] and we are apparently getting a new spy chief for the CIA. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is out and Mike Pompeo is in[3].

The topic of poisoning brings to my mind the alleged poisoning of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko by” Russian agents”. it seems highly conceivable now that a similar plot could have been hatched by M16/CIA intel to supplant the highly unpopular Yushchenko with a more pliable candidate towards Western “interests”. Although Yushchenko made overtures towards NATO he was generally regarded as a loose cannon and according to Wikileaks “In 2008 Viktor Yushchenko’s popularity plunged to less than 10%.[104] According to a poll carried out by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology between January 29 and February 5, 2009, just under 70% of Ukrainian voters believed that Yushchenko should leave his post, whereas just over 19% believed he should stay. When asked if Yushchenko should be impeached, over 56% of those polled were in favor with almost 27% against.[105]”

Venal Visors. And the all too easy convenience of Socializing The Costs, while Privatizing The Profits.

Oliver North, while under oath during the IranContra Hearings: “..We didn’t lose the Vietnam war over there, we lost that war, in this city.”

(..take your pick..) .. Too BIG to jail?

On April 8, 2005, CIA Director Porter Goss ordered an internal review of the CIA in order to determine why doubts about Curveball’s reliability were not forwarded to policy makers. Former CIA Director George Tenet and his former deputy, John E. McLaughlin, announced that they were not aware of doubts about Curveball’s veracity before the war. However, Tyler Drumheller, the former chief of the CIA’s European division, told the Los Angeles Times that “everyone in the chain of command knew exactly what was happening.” .. And, on June 26, 2006, The Washington Post reported that “the CIA acknowledged that Curveball was a con artist who drove a taxi in Iraq and spun his engineering knowledge into a fantastic but plausible tale about secret bioweapons factories on wheels.”

(..take your pick..) .. Too BIG to jail?

While Mueller Was Head Of The FBI — Hillary’s email firm was run from a loft apartment in Denver with its servers in the bathroom, which of course, should raise some questions over security of sensitive messages (the public’s property) that she held.

(..take your pick..) .. Too BIG to jail?

And, is there a softer side — to actively engaging in war?? .. James Le Mesurier, the creator of the White Helmets, who just happens to be a British private security specialist and a former British military intelligence officer, he has said very recently, “who would you trust more than the fire brigade or a first response NGO?” And, as reported by Vanessa Beeley in a recent Corbett Report interview: “James Le Mesurier, he is now recruiting in Brazil. We know that the White Helmets have appeared in Malaysia and in Venezuela, and in the Philippines.”

~ Rep. Luther Johnson (D.-Texas), in the debate that preceded the Radio Act of 1927
“American thought and American politics will be largely at the mercy of those who operate these stations, for publicity is the most powerful weapon that can be wielded in a republic. And when such a weapon is placed in the hands of one person, or a single selfish group is permitted to either tacitly or otherwise acquire ownership or dominate these broadcasting stations throughout the country, then woe be to those who dare to differ with them. It will be impossible to compete with them in reaching the ears of the American people.”

There are infinite ways to eliminate someone without using a chemical that can be traced directly to you. The only operators who would use Novichok would be those trying to fan the flames of hysteria against Russia. The idea that Russians would deliberately incriminate themselves in this manner when they had nothing to gain by it doesn’t even pass the straight-face test.

Israel Shamir posted an article on Unz Review that ties Putin’s speech on March 1 with the growing threats by U.S. leaders to intervene militarily in Syria if the Syrian government “uses chemical weapons again.” As if the Syrian government had any motive to use chemical weapons when it has all but won the war.

The Russians have contemptuously dismissed the absurd allegations against the Syrian government, and will do the same with respect to the allegations of Russian complicity in the assassination of Skripal.

But the military balance of power has shifted since Putin’s latest speech. The Russian president has now drawn a line in the sand by giving U.S. leaders a clear warning that Russia has the capability to put a quick end to illegal U.S. meddling in Syria, and the will to do so.

Only complete, deluded, fools would doubt Putin’s resolve. Thank God humanity is safe, since the people running the U.S. are all level-headed, intelligent, and reasonable.

Last sentence: *laughing*. I like your sarcasm there alley cat. Every State, or Agency, even certain corporations(kakistocracies), need an enemy(ies). Russia signed the UN’s Agenda 21 as well. And it is a world wide genocide pact. This may just be theater and they are actually working together to achieve this goal..this, Agenda. 5G is being implemented in Russia as well as the West so…The question is is how much involved and compliant in Agenda 21 is Russia? Then we would know what is theater and what is not. My thoughts on all of this.

“The obfuscations of the British reinforce in [sic] the view that Skripal was dangerous to the anti-Trump forces and the authorities therefore sought to have them removed.”

If it is true (and I don’t take it as proved at this point) that an ultra-powerful, military nerve agent that nobody is supposed to even possess in 2018 was employed here, then whoever is responsible was trying to send a message, not just kill somebody … unsuccessfully kill, for that matter, at least so far.

Whether that message be a straightforward one by Russia that traitors always pay in the end, or a double-game, “false flag” one by the U.K. or U.S. to make it look like Russia, or some even more convoluted scenario – it’s still more about communication than killing. That’s because anybody with the resources to get hold of this exotic toxin could easily have killed Skripal in a more mundane (and reliable) manner, if that was their primary goal.

Therefore, I disagree with James O’Neill’s hypothesis that this was somebody trying to silence Skripal because of the Steele dossier: if that were the case, we’d have a dead victim and a conventional cause of death, albeit possibly made to look like an accident or suicide.

If it is true… that an ultra-powerful, military nerve agent that nobody is supposed to even possess in 2018 was employed here, then whoever is responsible was trying to send a message, not just kill somebody… it’s still more about communication than killing. That’s because anybody with the resources to get hold of this exotic toxin could easily have killed Skripal in a more mundane (and reliable) manner, if that was their primary goal.

Not only does the use of such a toxin identify the killer as a government actor, whether Russian or U.S. or UK, it sends the message that whoever it is, they are dangerous, lawless, and willing to take the risk, knowing they have identified themselves as one of very few possible actors.

Just as the note in the anthrax attack stated, “WE HAVE THIS ANTHRAX”, the question we have to ask in response is a kind of John le Carre quote: Who is speaking here?

I think it is much much worse than what you are suggesting. I think the governmental actor in question is either the US or the UK. Most likely the US with the UK as co-conspirator. It strikes me as odd that not only the Skripals but also Litvinenko who was murdered on British soil with polonium 210, another governmental action only weapon. While on the one hand, these chemical/nuclear agents were known to be possessed by Russia, that doesn’t mean that they weren’t also possessed by us. The US military would want samples of the nerve agent to work on possible antidotes and defenses. Polonium 210 is just an element. It can be made by anybody who has a research nuclear reactor. The US is (unsuccessfully so far) attempting to isolate Russia as they prosecute their pursuit of ousting the elected government of Syria. My take is that we are working up to attacking the government of Syria to protect “our” “moderate” rebel scum in Syria. And we won’t have any kind of UN resolution to misinterpret. I don’t know how we’re going to try to spin it but look for an attack in Ghouta sometime soon. The US is trying to forestall a Russian response but the Russians have come out and said that an attack by the US would result in a Russian response. The US undoubtedly hopes to get all of NATO to respond to an attack by Russia on the US in a country that the US is illegally occupying. I dunno. All the old colonial powers in Europe are pretty much US lapdogs. so it’s hard to say what they’ll do.

Empires need their boogiemen and waning Empires need war. It should be obvious to even a casual observer who is creating all these events implicating the current boogieman of choice. But the western public is so awash in Russophobic propaganda, they don’t recognize what should be obvious. Perception management at its finest.

Isn’t it interesting what comes out when you apply some sensible cynicism, objectivity and logical process, to these anti-Russian scandals? One would hope that the British Police show more of these traits, than do Western politicians and media.

I remember that great comic-strip, “Spy vs. Spy” (yes, that’s how old I am). Episodes of that comic display far more ingenuity than Russia, if indeed, an organ of the the Russian Government is responsible. I doubt they could possibly be that stupid.

Yet this is what the Western elites expect us to believe. And how stupid is that!

When I first heard of this my immediate reaction was Gee, another Russian spook murdered in Britain using a poison that would probably only be available to a governmental agency. Isn’t it completely obvious that the country that is clever enough to chamber the AK-47 for a caliber that would allow them to shoot NATO 7.62mm rounds but who’s ammunition can’t be fired by NATO rifles would be so stupid as to make a hit on someone they didn’t like by a means that would seem to point right back to them? No, that kind of ham handedness stinks of the CIA.

This has all the hallmarks of another false flag attack perpetuated by Western Govts & Intelligence Agencies, who are probably the ones responsible for this attack in yet another attempt to blame Russia & further demonise Putin for it? Jumping to conclusions, without actual facts, the hysterical nonsense displayed byTheresa May & that fop headed idiot Boris Johnson has along with the moronic British Parliament with the usual puppets, the MSM & judging by the over the top reaction, confirms this is false flag attack, it’s like a beacon? Isn’t there the legal concept that one is innocent until proven guilty? This law doesn’t seem to apply to Russia or Putin, who would have nothing to gain by taking this poisoning action? So the question must be asked? Why was this person poisoned & who stood to profit the most from this action? If you look at it in this context you’d have to contend that the West has more to gain out of this than Russia?

Yes, it is ludicrous!
Apparently this story is designed to justify a range of additional anti-Russia moves including sanctions, boycotting the football world championships, increased military presence in Eastern Europe, etc.
Swedish media I just noticed are well in synch with the onslaught.
NATO express willingness to support the British in this war…
The public grow more aware and sceptical of media and all Russia-bashing.

Fabulous! Thank you Mr. O’Neill what a wonderful and totally sensible deconstruction. The whole thing is like a Le Carre novel. I look forward to reading the end and see how this comes out.
The only problem is that this sort of skulduggery is so dangerous! Particularly now that Trump is moving the pieces on the chess board willy nilly without and rhyme or reason, and other players, like Theresa May, are complete idiots – we have way too many idiots as powerful pieces on the board and the supreme idiot that is shoving them around is only interested in TV ratings not what is good for the citizens across the world who are going to die.

The United States and Uzbekistan have quietly negotiated and are expected to sign a bilateral agreement today to provide American aid in dismantling and decontaminating one of the former Soviet Union’s largest chemical weapons testing facilities, according to Defense Department and Uzbek officials.

Earlier this year, the Pentagon informed Congress that it intends to spend up to $6 million under its Cooperative Threat Reduction program to demilitarize the so-called Chemical Research Institute, in Nukus, Uzbekistan. Soviet defectors and American officials say the Nukus plant was the major research and testing site for a new class of secret, highly lethal chemical weapons called ”Novichok,” which in Russian means ”new guy.”

Let us guess who got full access to the equipment, technical documentation and all those agents

A former Soviet chemist Vil Mirzayanov who supervised a program of development of nerve agents known as “Novichok” among many others at a Soviet/Russian R&D facility in Moscow and who was arrested for treason and for passing secret information to “western intelligent services” in 1992 later relocated to the United States where he presently resides, taking a position at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

“The formula in a book you can buy on Amazon for 30 bucks, the stuff’s not listed the OPCW’s list of deadly nerve agents, to the stuff being stored in the former Soviet states, but Russia being the only one of those former Soviet states that destroyed their stockpiles of chemical & bio weapons – to the satisfaction of the OPCW, no less, ‘Hallelujah’ statements, and all.

Porton Down: “Porton Down is a United Kingdom science park, situated just northeast of the village of Porton near Salisbury, in Wiltshire, England. It is home to two UK Government facilities: a site of the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) – known for over 100 years as one of the UK’s most secretive and controversial military research facilities, occupying 7,000 acres (2,800 ha) – and a site of Public Health England. It is also home to other private and commercial science organisations, and is expanding to attract other companies.

The site is commonly confused with the nearby chemical-biological-radiological-nuclear (CBRN) training facility, the Defence CBRN Centre at Winterbourne Gunner.”

Porton Down is about 6 miles north of Salisbury. But the Defence CBRN Centre is situated on the same road as Porton Down, but is even closer to Salisbury.

“The Defence Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Centre (the Defence CBRN Centre or DCBRNC for short) is a United Kingdom military facility at Winterbourne Gunner in Wiltshire, south of Porton Down and about 4 miles (6 km) northeast of Salisbury. It is a tri-service location, with the Royal Air Force being the lead service. The centre is responsible for all training issues relating to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence and warfare for the UK’s armed forces.”

Thank you. The proximity does at least suggest an operation by anti-Russian rogues at CBRN Centre, or a connection of Skripal to CBRN. The latter would suggest an active Skripal role in CW false-flags and/or supply operations for false-flags in Syria, which perhaps he was suspected of revealing to Russia. Or his proximity to CBRN Centre and his monthly Russian embassy meetings may have suggested him as the source of any leaks to Russia about UK CW, perhaps in a Syria false-flag, making him a target.

Apparently the Sarin Gas attack in Syria which had all of the hallmarks of an inside the US false flag operation and resulted in Trump launching cruise missiles against Syrian targets completely reversing his decision the week before to walk away from the fight made some elements in the deep state looking for further opportunities to reverse Trump’s decision to not blame Russia for election hacking by launching another false flag nerve gas attack which the media instantly seized upon with blame assigned to Russia just as the media instantly seized upon the Sarin Gas attack in Syria to blame the Syrian Assad government as the culprit within hours of the event.

These two events also share the same problem. The problem in each case is that neither the Syrian government in the case of the Sarin attack or the Russian government in the case of the Sergei Skripal nerve agent attack had anything to gain.

In the case of the Sarin attack in Syria, Syria and Assad would have been thrilled that the president of the United States was announcing his intentions to stop hostilities in Syria and let the Russians handle suppression of the rebellion which for the Russians was a mission to rescue Assad and preserve his rule over Syria. To think that on the eve of Trumps disengagement announcement Assad would decide to launch a gas attack on his own people which would prove him guilty of using WMD and butchering his people which would have inflamed not only the US but also the Russians who were trying to gain control over the anti Assad ISIS fighters is a stretch. One would have to blame really bad planning and terrible judgement on the part of Assad since this action would make him a menace in both US and Russian eyes.

In other words, Assad had nothing to gain from launching an attack on his people. But the US media was quick to identify Assad as the guilty party and they whipped up the hysteria showing endless pictures of lifeless babies and convulsing foaming at the mouth victims and beamed those videos around the World claiming Assad had gassed his own people before even 24 hours had elapsed. The sheer horror of those videos coupled with the banter and blame cried out by the western press caused a reaction which reverberated around the World. Global media in every western country hailed Trumps response to launch 59 “beautiful” cruise missiles at Syria to punish them for the ghastly crime. We were treated to shipboard views of the American Flag flying high as the brilliant fire plumes of the missile destroyers launched the cruise missiles as if it was a Fourth of July fireworks display of freedom and democracy in action. There should have been a ticker tape parade on board the ship with the singing of God Bless America and sailors in uniform kissing the missiles before they were launched penning them with crayon art graphics reminiscent of former wars.

In other words, in the span of around 24 hours the US had figured out who was responsible for the attack (Assad) and had mounted a scripted and professionally filmed Glory to America money shot displaying American resolve to not let some foreign leader kill little babies (the ones endlessly broadcast in the media coverage)

The slick Holly Wood production had the desired effect and it dragged the. then walking away from the fight US forces, back into the fight against Assad and the rest of the western media in Europe stunned by the simple elegance of the play and the spectacular grand finale applauded as though it had just witnessed a fireworks grand finale.

Of course there was never any analysis deeper than the show business as to the possible alternative reasons for the attack. Nobody asked the question “Who Benefits”. The media is not a legal investigative team. They are a supporter and a propaganda tool for the deep state.

There were so many alternative narratives which could have been explored but none were. The media was firmly fixed around the “fact” that Assad had committed the crime and they never looked back.

Now we have a similar situation where a gas attack has the media fixed without evidence that Russia committed the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter blaming Russia for the attack before the evidence is in.

Some say the firing of Tillerson by Trump and the appointment of Pompeo is a terrifying development but it also might be a result of Tillerson coming out and announcing that Russia was to blame. For Trump it may have been a case of fool me once shame on me, fool me twice shame on you.

By appointing the head of the CIA Trump might be reigning in the agency under his direct control by placing its head directly in the cross hairs of public foreign diplomacy rather than engaging in covert CIA Ops. Pompeo will be directly responsible for creating the public narrative surrounding such events and he could not possibly do a worse job of that than the former Tillerson leadership. He will also have a lot more public accountability and presence than in his former role. It will also be a lot easier to fire him if Trump thinks he is not the man to lead the agency. It is always harder to fire the head of a secret national intelligence agency than it is to fire a Secretary of State.

Trumps resolve to fight the media over their endless allegations he colluded with the Russians to gain the presidency turned another page and America loves a fighter. It is a dark day for the media and the democrats as the republicans end the investigation into Russia Gate and the media is scrambling to make sense of what just happened.

I hope that this is true but I cannot discount the other possibility that Trump has once again been fooled by the intelligence and the media into appointing a tool of the deep state to replace Tillerson. He was fooled in Syria and the World applauded or rather the World media applauded loudly. Hopefully he was not fooled by that contrived story. If that is the case then it is bad news for all of us and might lead to further hostilities against Russia.

The most direct feeling I have is that I would have also fired Tillerson for rashly blaming Russia for the attack on Sergei Skripal playing into the hands of the bellicose war mongering to the fake press. They have been engaged in war mongering long enough and we have seen the theaters of war the media supported destabilize entire regions such as the Middle East for long enough. We can no longer tolerate the propaganda and lies of our “free press”. We must put an end to their propaganda lie factories of fake news.

Hopefully this is a change of leadership that will help make that happen. Trump has more than ample reasons to despise the coverage they provide and the spin they create and the lies they propagate all while swearing they are honest to goodness real honest news. Their claim of honest journalism is a crock of shit.

Respectfully … Trump wasn’t fooled – he knew exactly what he was risking. Before Trump attacked Syrian soil, Americans shared intelligence with the Russians revealing optional false flag “windows of opportunity”. Trump and Netanyahu colluded on the timing and ordering of the false flag in Syria, saw the opportunity and took it, lying it was Assad, and resulting in the illegal 59 Tomahawk missile attack last year. The two psychopath national leaders were hoping to spark a military response from Syria/Russia and potentially incalculable escalation of violence – but it failed.

Ms. Haley directly threatened another “unilateral” military attack on Syria like occurred last year at the United Nations Security Council, again based on lies about chemical weapons use falsely blamed on Assad, and falsely carried out by paid mercenary terrorists. The lie is being bolstered or empowered through manipulative propaganda linking the “evil Russians-Putin who use nerve agents” to the “evil Syrians-Assad who use chemical weapons on innocent Syrians”. The symmetry is obvious.

Trump isn’t “playing 5-D chess” … He’s a world-class professional deceiver carrying out his duties as America’s latest CEO, taking his orders from those whom the late comedian George Carlin rightly described as “they own you”, and is, at this extremely troubling historical moment, arguably the most dangerous human being on Earth.

I read a story which was redacted from the Internet about how Obama authorized a false flag operation to gas Syrians and blame it on Assad back when Obama was ginning up a war with Syria based on false claims that an “Arab Spring” was blooming in Syria. The war makers felt uneasy that the propaganda about a popular uprising in Syria against Assad and his government might fail to achieve the critical mass necessary to start a revolution. The US was desperate to find “reliable allies” (who were really terrorists) to spark the revolution against Assad. In the event that all of the political attempts to spark a civil war in Syria failed to accomplish the mission Obama authorized a false flag gas attack against civilians to create a horrified mass of westerners that Assad was capable of such monstrous attacks. The attack was never authorized but the plan no doubt played into the thinking in US defense plans when there was a suddenly unexpected gas attack on Syrians just about a week after Trump in his naive baby form as the Commander in Chief announced that he had no further interest in conducting military operations in Syria.

Trump had stated publicly during his campaign that he was opposed to war in the middle east and wanted to withdraw from the Syrian conflict. There is little doubt that the newby president tried to play his hand. But then he was confronted with the Sarin Gas attack and watched as the news media blamed the horror on Assad and played endless footage of dead babies and fathers cradling dead babies and victims convulsing and foaming at the mouth in death throws in hospitals all with an endless barrage of propaganda that all of it was the result of Assad carrying out a horrible crime against his people.

The barrage of news was followed by the hailing of the Cruise Missile launches against the baby killer Assad and justice was served on the Syrian government by the mighty and just USA. Hooray!

Nobody can conceive that we might have been responsible. But if we look at what Obama and the military were trying to accomplish with regime change in Syria and you look at the counter position taken by Trump in his early days it is all too easy to see how a false flag would nicely counter Trumps plan to walk away from the Syrian conflict by creating a horror show and front page news. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Now the new gas attack on the former Russian double agent is squarely aimed at Russia. Why do we blame Russia which had nothing to gain from a public assassination attempt of Sergei Skripal just as we also blamed Assad who had nothing to gain from attacking his people as the US was walking away from the fight and fail to ask the question cui bono – who benefits?

The obvious reason is that our press also fails to ask that very question over and over. Watchdog press? I don’t think so.

Yes, the US mass media are owned by zionists and serve only the zionist plan for the Mideast, which requires trying to keep Russia out by means of these false-flag attacks. There is no other basis whatsoever for anti-Russia attitudes in US media.

Well I said: “I hope that this is true but I cannot discount the other possibility that Trump has once again been fooled by the intelligence and the media into appointing a tool of the deep state to replace Tillerson. He was fooled in Syria and the World applauded or rather the World media applauded loudly. Hopefully he was not fooled by that contrived story. If that is the case then it is bad news for all of us and might lead to further hostilities against Russia.”

Having further researched Mike Pompeo’s history it seems he is a war hawk who will align to blame Russia for the attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Further he has been a strong critic of the nuclear deal with Iran forged under Obama and has also been a strong republican supporter of every republican strategy for national defense including keeping Guantanamo Bay open indefinitely etc. This would support my doubts that the appointment of Secretary of State Pompeo would do much to ratchet down international tensions in the hot spots around the World where the US has chosen to portray our “enemies” as military targets to be conquered rather than other nations with their own sovereign rights to be dealt with through diplomacy.

The most alarming idea is to launch a war with Iran since they have negotiated a nuclear disarmament strategy with the Obama administration leaving them in a precarious situation of being vulnerable to a change in strategy by the US of negotiation towards a threat of armed force intervention coming from the US. Trump calls the Iran deal a terrible deal and so does Pompeo. How it is a terrible deal seems to be the same accusation that the US launched against Saddam Hussein in Iraq. It is only a terrible deal for Iran as it was for Iraq to believe that they could disarm under UN supervision in the hopes it would prevent an attack by the US.

I fear that the lessons of the potential new anti Iranian strategy to cancel out our deals with Iran will only convince the North Koreans that any pursuit of a peace with the USA will ultimately result in our reneging on the deal at the first arrival of our stated goals to get NK to disarm and will turn on them even if they comply with western demands that they must dismantle their nuclear arsenals.

The Iranian Nuclear deal is in peril with the appointment of Pompeo and the result will be that North Korea will see no advantage in cooperating with an adversary which on the one hand forges peace treaties and on the other hand revokes them by the politically shifting winds in Washington headed by a president who cannot see the forest from the trees and is easily influenced by people he “connects with” as though that is reason enough to surround himself with those people and appoint them to high positions.

The politically shifting instability in Washington with the firings of high officials alone would be reason enough for any foreign nation to doubt the credibility of any policy being put forth. Stability is what is essential to create the foundation for trust. Without an honest and consistent foreign policy it will be impossible to gain the trust of foreign leaders. As long as the administration is led by the nose by the media and acts in unpredictable ways there can be no shared basis for trust which is essential for peace.

What we have in Washington is the expansion of domestic political unrest and the contention of our national elections flaring over into blame of foreign influences and the externalization of blame for our current sociopolitical divide.

This is the fertile ground laced with the fertilizer for war or at the least a military buildup to war.

There is no greater threat than a World Superpower nation that shifts almost weekly on its policies and has open disputes with its appointed leaders which results in that nation repeatedly reshuffling the cards and changing its positions on foreign policy. I pray that the current leadership will come to grips with its own internal struggles and find a reasoned path towards maintaining the fragile peace that we all depend on.

of course the russians didn’t do it. according to you they haven’t done anything but go to church and pray for world peace every sunday.
“sulisbury is only 12 miles away from porton down”, “Skripal was likely involved in the production of the Steele dossier”, “Russia had destroyed all left over stocks from the Soviet Union’s chemical weapon program and does not currently produce chemical weapons”, “if a bmw runs over someone is it the fault of the german government?” are just a few of the speculations, unrelated facts and idiotic statements that make up this site’s core of arguments. this garbage, this sorry excuse for political analysis is the worst form of fake news: it is paid news, news a la cart.

There is no bigger paid fake news than our commercial news corporations which will soon be able to propagandize us free of the Internet Neutrality rules which allow free discourse and debate thanks to the FCC ruling to end Net Neutrality which will end free speech for the tiny so called “fake news” sites like this. Fake only in the fact they counter the main stream propaganda. Admittedly you have found a hole in the story with some speculation being proposed by the author that connections to the Steele Report and the proximity of some supposed British nerve gas factory plays into the story. It is fake news as far as speculation that the British were involved since there is no proof of that either but how as that different from the fact free accusations that the Russians were responsible?

Personally I agree that the allegations that the British were behind it are unfounded but so are the allegations that Russia was behind it. It is a rush to find guilt on both sides unsupported by evidence and deserving its day in a court of law,

There is no proof that the Russians were responsible and there is ample circumstantial evidence that there have been similar attempts many former governments to conduct false flag operations to create the appearance of enemy involvement in crimes boosted by the media in a rush to judgement where the home government would benefit from a story blaming the enemy state for deeds they were responsible for. Do you think we are not capable of the same crimes we routinely accuse other nations of? Do you believe every news story you hear and call every dissenting voice fake?

The purpose of this site is to examine the all too real possibilities that our own governments are capable of perpetrating the same kinds of lies that our publicly announced “enemies” are accused as responsible for and to call into question their own motives for doing so.

The question of who benefits from the accusations that Russia was behind the gassing of Sergei Skripal and his daughter lies at the heart of the question of who really benefits from the news blitzes like the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter?

The article may be flawed with speculations but the underlying question remains “Who Benefits” Surely it is not the Russians who could have killed Sergei Skripal many years ago if they felt the need to kill him. They surely had ample means to do so being a world superpower and master at spying and controlling their assets.

It is the fault of our judgement and our ability to understand how international relations are controlled to not see how we can easily be fooled by a disinformation campaign aimed at aligning our nations around a guilty verdict based on false evidence.

Again, who benefits? Are the Russians benefiting from this assassination attempt? I think not. They are now corralled by the western press as having committed one more grievous crime. Why would they do this? Would their reasons be to empower the west to vilify them? Would they time their attack precisely at a time when the British were questioning their decision to exit the European Union was being called into question? How would their decision to unite against a Russian threat influence their decision?

Clearly there is more to this story than meets the eye and clearly there is much to be gained by creating a foreign enemy to rally the people.

So what is the risk? The risk is that by marginalizing the Russians and constantly keeping them out in the cold (war) the West will face an renewed existential threat and will only exacerbate tensions with a fully nuclear armed Russia.

This is great news for the arms manufacturers. They will reap giant profits as we descend into Cold War II.

So really you should be asking yourself who benefits and the only answer that is reasonable is the arms manufacturers and the military.

The agitation on the western side for blaming Russia for everything is economically motivated for profit.

If the Russians wanted him dead he would have died of a tragic accident, due to mindless street violence, or of an armed robbery gone wrong years ago, not ritually assassinated on the public square using a military grade “weapon of mass destruction” made only at highly secured government facilities (like the shop down the street). That’s how you kill him if you want to frame the Russian state for the death.

“Putindiditism” is definitely the new plague sweeping the West, infecting everyone, who was once able to think straight but is now incapable of critical thinking or even common sense. Teresa May sounds as demented and desperate as our own Queen of You Owe Me during her failing campaign. “Highly likely” are Intelligence (duh) Community weasel words for “we’re makin’ this sh– up”. However, had the Sore Loser won, we might have been spared all these fairy tales and connivings and cut straight to Operation Barbarossa 2018. The true cold hearts’ desire of all these berserkers and their fellow travelers barreling helter-skelter down the highway to hell and dragging the rest of us with them. What is to be done??

Clearly the brits were out to get Trump via Steele. That has been a long term objective as Trump is not an ‘authorzed’ agent for the deep, dependable State. Skripal is too well informed and deeply dangerous to be alive now. I guess the unexpected survival issue can be sorted out soon enough. So there you go, fail in afghanistan, iran, iraq, syria, USA, where next for the Brits? fail in the EU. They certainly fail in the believeabilty challenge.

Haaaaaaaahaaaaaaaa. Global Deep State. You reek of corruption. Its getting harder to cover your tracks. Spirit cooking not working? No. I didn’t think so. Even the “peasants” that you despise are not buying the narrative.

The word is “intelligence” – see how it is used. Look up the definition at Dictionary.com and read it. Everything you have done is now going to come back with an equal and opposite reaction.

Let me see if I can say this as succinctly as possible so even you Deep State (Globalist) demons understand.

There will be no war with Russia or anyone else. There will be no New (Nazi) World Order. Your form of globalism will end and the death you have brought to millions will cease. The Almighty will not be mocked. And neither will your alien overlords. They are on the side of the “useless eaters” you despise and lie to with your MSM. The reason is quite simple – they are good people while you are evil and seek power to control others, press others down, and steal their money so you can rise while they die – according to your plans.

How do I know? I’m psychic – and so is everyone else you are trying to control on some level. The difference between them and me is I know it and I have seen the truth – I see it everyday. And the truth is coming out about your plans to control humanity, your crimes against children and others, your collusion with false religions, your quest to control people with chemicals – all of it.

You truly are a bunch of evil swine Global Deep State. I hope you enjoy being slaves. There will be no escape in your next life. There are no “short-cuts” in the hierarchy of ascension. And other planes of existence are recording everything.

In summary, Novichok formula is out in the open, anyone with chemistry background could make it and the substance cannot be traced back to the person, entity, or country. Well, unless one intends to point finger at Russia that is…

It is perhaps telling that the media coverage is clearly designed to obscure rather than reveal. The Russian to judgement in this has obvious parallels with the situation immediately prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Either the Russophobes are so deluded by their fear and hatred or they are intentional set on a course of action that could result in nuclear war.

It could be. The US has since opened over 10 new biological laboratories across Ukraine.
Ukraine would be the most likely to still be in possession of the original russian nerve agent recipe.
This has the fingerprints of neo nazi /CIA thugs all over it. Uk also being totally complicit.

Putin is a criminal. He steals from the Russian people and kills journalists who try to talk about that.
Putin is trying to undermine democracy (even as tainted as it is) by his intrusion into western elections. A crime that we also commit, but when a gun is pointed at me I have a rather strong reaction than when I am pointing the gun elsewhere. Hypocritical, yes. Accurate in blaming Putin for obstructing democracy and leveraging Trump into power, yes. And is Trump far worse than Clinton (as bad as she would have been), Yes.

Putin is trying to return Russia to the Glory of Soviet Empire. Undeniable. He says so. And what of the national aspirations of the people who live in bordering areas? Yes even Ukrainian fascists have rights. His maneuvers in Ukraine have shown his lack of commitment to peace. I recognize that right wing elements in the US fostered a de facto coup in Ukraine and forced a more rapid transition than had been agreed upon. But that fact does not give Russia permission to invade Ukraine. And who is next?

So all you apologists for Putin, get a life./ It is not all black and white with anyone opposing the CIA a good guy. Putin is a shit and we all would better off if his ilk were driven back under rocks with all other fascists and non democratic hoodlums by the loud and constant outcry of decent human beings.

So sorry to see this thread overloaded with Putin apologists who are so afraid of the big bad wolf (CIA) that they take up companionship with Hyenas.

You are definitely unable to think for yourself and your’e clearly in the wrong place. This corner of the web is for free, intelligent and open minded people that have full control of their minds. Unfortunately for you, this place is just way out of your league.
Try CNN, the Guardian, Huff post, VOA for their comments sections. If you can even find any that has not been removed.
Now be off with you!….. bug

The UK, US and Israel had more motive to get rid of this man than Russia. It was likely that the man poisoned was the ONLY Russian source of the Steele dossier. With him out of the way there is no one left to corroborate on the story. And coward STEELE is in hiding.

The UK and US had motive in order to keep advancing the Russia did it narrative to continue to manufacture consent for war on Russia. Just as a CW false flag attack is being planned in Syria and Russia warning the US not to advance this attack with it’s US funded terrorists. The insane psychopaths are planning a nuclear war uupon the American people

The timing is once again highly suspicious with the fifa world cup around the corner. The Empire does not want Russia on center stage with the whole world watching. Trust me, we can expect much more to come regarding this world cup. Boycotting, sanctions and more underhanded tactics happening are what the next month has in store for us.

I wonder just how much more Russia is able to take before it decides not to turn the other cheek. Eventually Russia will start saying that “hold on a second, we are being judged and punished continuously so why dont we start doing some things to at least warrant all this punishment?”

Also, the poison, Novichok, was stored by the Soviets in states on its borders, like Georgia and Ukraine, and Baltic states, so after those republics broke off from the USSR during its collapse the poison fell into the hands of anti-Russian countries. It is inconceivable that western intelligence at the collapse of the USSR would not have swooped in and grabbed what it could in those stockpiles. In fact, in 1999 American agents spent six million dollars in decommissioning a plant that produced Novichok in the Uzbek city of Nukus. If you don’t think that they took a little for a false flag in the future you don’t know our intelligence services.

I am disappointed by the highly biased slant against Russia in which they chose to frame this news. Absolutely no consideration that this might be a false flag used to incriminate Russia. Instead the “possibility” that they choose to underscore is “The U.S.S.R. is the only country to have developed and produced these [Novichok] agents,” says Jean Pascal Zanders, an independent consultant who was previously a senior research fellow at the European Union Institute for Security Studies. “It’s almost as though the Russians are sending a message to the West that they can reach anywhere, whenever they like.”

Aside from that unlikely nonsense, the only other “possibilities” mentioned in the article are “Prime Minister May has said that there are only two plausible explanations for the attack on the Skripals: “Either this was a direct act by the Russian State against our country, or the Russian government lost control of this potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others.” Either of those scenarios would mean that Russia is in breach of the CWC, says Zanders.”

As a retired professional chemist, I am highly disappointed by the lack of objectivity. This article makes the ACS look like just one more stooge of the American Deep State using its publishing arm in the service of a bellicose geopolitical policy.

The most intelligent thing said was in a comment posted to the article by a reader named Roman Ivanov who said “If Prime Minister May said something, it does not mean it is true. They must present full report including chemical analyses and comparison with a known standard in order to prove that the substance is “Novichok”. If UK has such a “standard”, they must have an exact chemical formula and therefore they are able to produce this substance in UK.” Got that? To definitively prove what the stuff is, they must have some on hand (called a “standard” in chemistry) to make the comparison. If they have some on hand, how do we know they didn’t perpetrate the crime?

I am disappointed by the highly biased slant against Russia in which they chose to frame this news. Absolutely no consideration that this might be a false flag used to incriminate Russia. Instead the “possibility” that they choose to underscore is “The U.S.S.R. is the only country to have developed and produced these [Novichok] agents,” says Jean Pascal Zanders, an independent consultant who was previously a senior research fellow at the European Union Institute for Security Studies. “It’s almost as though the Russians are sending a message to the West that they can reach anywhere, whenever they like.”

Aside from that unlikely nonsense, the only other “possibilities” mentioned in the article are “Prime Minister May has said that there are only two plausible explanations for the attack on the Skripals: “Either this was a direct act by the Russian State against our country, or the Russian government lost control of this potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others.” Either of those scenarios would mean that Russia is in breach of the CWC, says Zanders.”

As a retired professional chemist, I am highly disappointed by the lack of objectivity. This article makes the ACS look like just one more stooge of the American Deep State using its publishing arm in the service of a bellicose geopolitical policy.

The most intelligent thing said was in a comment posted to the article by a reader named Roman Ivanov who said “If Prime Minister May said something, it does not mean it is true. They must present full report including chemical analyses and comparison with a known standard in order to prove that the substance is “Novichok”. If UK has such a “standard”, they must have an exact chemical formula and therefore they are able to produce this substance in UK.” Got that? To definitively prove what the stuff is, they must have some on hand (called a “standard” in chemistry) to make the comparison. If they have some on hand, how do we know they didn’t perpetrate the crime?

To CN. You can say I already posted this, but to where did it disappear? I am posting it again because someone has scrubbed it even before it even appeared on screen.

Someone is blocking my report of an important article on the chemistry of the substance in question. My post, in the form of a reply to Bob in Portland, is disappeared every time I try to enter it to this forum. I suggest this site is being hacked. CN could not possibly want to sequester this. The assailants against free speech must lie elsewhere.

Arthur Augustus William Harry Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede (16 February 1871 – 23 March 1946), was a British politician, writer, and social activist. He was the third son of Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary to Queen Victoria, and the great-grandson of The 3rd Earl of Bessborough.
Arthur Ponsonby in his book Falsehood in War-time, Containing an Assortment of Lies Circulated Throughout the Nations During the Great War (1928). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Ponsonby,_1st_Baron_Ponsonby_of_Shulbrede

Anne Morelliis has summarized and systematized the contents of Ponsonby’s classic in “ten commandments of propaganda”:[7]
1. We do not want war.
2. The opposite party alone is guilty of war.
3. The enemy is the face of the devil.
4. We defend a noble cause, not our own interest.
5. The enemy systematically commits cruelties; our mishaps are involuntary.
6. The enemy uses forbidden weapons.
7. We suffer small losses, those of the enemy are enormous.
8. Artists and intellectuals back our cause.
9. Our cause is sacred.
10. All who doubt our propaganda, are traitors.[8][9]

Anne Morelli systematised the essentials of Ponsonby’s classic in her book ‘Principes élémentaires de propagande de guerre’. Morelli explains how these principles not only worked during the First World War, but were also applied in all wars after.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falsehood_in_War-Time

The Russian presidential election is coming up on Sunday. A great opportunity now for the CIA / MI6 / Mossad backed candidate to make some noise over Putin’s near-guaranteed, shoe-in victory by planting an illegitimate narrative.

The gassing, using Novichok (an open-source formula), is just another in a long list of false flag events carefully crafted to turn Russia, and Putin in particular, into an international pariah and bogeyman in particular. Such an event is an attempt to throw cold water on Trump’s thawing of relations by discrediting him now that Steele has been exposed as a fraud.

Curse the British Empire and all of her thefts, genocides and atrocities. Death to the House of Windsor – the greatest concentration of evil in human history. May the weight of the crimes of the crown break the royal’s necks.

One group that is anti Russia and has been very active recently is Ukrainian Intelligence. It could well be the case that the nerve agent is from stocks that were left over in Ukraine. That could mean they are quite old and could have deteriorated, which might explain why a nerve agent described as the ‘deadliest ever’ and ’10 times more potent than VX’ has yet to kill any of the victims.

There is actually no evidence that these nerve agents ever existed, hence the reluctance of the British to provide samples. The OPCW that destroyed the Soviet chemical weapons stocks found no evidence of them and does not list them in their list of chemical weapons. These false flag operations are developed over years of planning.

Dammit! Nothing I try to post here is getting through. It is disappeared as soon as I click “post.” It is not being “moderated” just immediately disappeared before even showing up. Someone who doesn’t want you to know any of the science behind this substance must be hacking the site. I will try again.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Here’s what the American Chemical Society has to say about the matter in its weekly publication “Chemical and Engineering News.”

I am disappointed by the highly biased slant against Russia in which they chose to frame this news. Absolutely no consideration that this might be a false flag used to incriminate Russia. Instead the “possibility” that they choose to underscore is “The U.S.S.R. is the only country to have developed and produced these [Novichok] agents,” says Jean Pascal Zanders, an independent consultant who was previously a senior research fellow at the European Union Institute for Security Studies. “It’s almost as though the Russians are sending a message to the West that they can reach anywhere, whenever they like.”

Aside from that unlikely nonsense, the only other “possibilities” mentioned in the article are “Prime Minister May has said that there are only two plausible explanations for the attack on the Skripals: “Either this was a direct act by the Russian State against our country, or the Russian government lost control of this potentially catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into the hands of others.” Either of those scenarios would mean that Russia is in breach of the CWC, says Zanders.”

As a retired professional chemist, I am highly disappointed by the lack of objectivity. This article makes the ACS look like just one more stooge of the American Deep State using its publishing arm in the service of a bellicose geopolitical policy.

The most intelligent thing said was in a comment posted to the article by a reader named Roman Ivanov who said “If Prime Minister May said something, it does not mean it is true. They must present full report including chemical analyses and comparison with a known standard in order to prove that the substance is “Novichok”. If UK has such a “standard”, they must have an exact chemical formula and therefore they are able to produce this substance in UK.” Got that? To definitively prove what the stuff is, they must have some on hand (called a “standard” in chemistry) to make the comparison. If they have some on hand, how do we know they didn’t perpetrate the crime?
__________________________________________________________________________________________

To CN. You can say I already posted this, but to where did it disappear? I am posting it again because someone has scrubbed it even before it even appeared on screen.

I’ve had the same thing happen a couple times as of late. Also, when I click on CN, first I get a “site can’t be reached” message, and then the site comes up. Joe T suggested to me that I copy my message before hitting “post comment”, so I don’t have to re-type the whole thing.

By all means, I do that now. You will notice that CN has gone to the trouble of retrieving, not just one copy of my several attempts to post this story, but every attempt. I thank them for fixing the problem… at least for the time being. It is so easy for people with the technical skills to stop communication and free speech in the digital era. At best, you are left wondering what is going on. At worst, you feel abused.

Today, I seem to be having a repeat performance of the email service outage that Comcast suffered across the country a couple of weeks ago. Can’t even email to tell them about it, how’s that for irony. Maybe they have a browser based chat board. Hate to deal with their robot mail option.

Excellent piece, and further to the Anti Russian sentiments expressed by the western powers, who are clearly spoiling for a fight. The Americans ( under the guise of CIA backed rebels ) are having their asses handed to them by the Russians. The Proxy war is all but lost in Syria and the only option left to the Americans and her western allies, is to escalate into a full blown war with Russia.

“You cannot be serious?” Why would they use an identifiable nerve agent? Because they can – and that they blatantly wanted to show any others of the same mind, that they care absolutely nothing for anyone elses life and safety. Also clearly demonstrating the pure contempt they hold Britain and any other country wo opposes them.
After fourteen, “enemies of the Russian state,” have been killed on our soil in similar identifiable ways, what does it take to ignore this utter claptrap means of clouding the waters?

Right on Geoff. I’ve lost it with Consortium News. The past history speaks for itself along with why would they endanger their own people. Maybe it was a bully group associated with Russian politics. Maybe it was Israeli agents who have used chemicals on adversaries in the past, upset with Russian Syrian adventures upsetting the Yinon Plan. Who knows? So many here jump on the band wagon before enough ends to the mystery have been tied.
Good bye Consortium News, you once had a good sight to increase the vision over important issues.

What a coincidence. in the same week that the House Intelligence Committee rejects Russiagate, a new Russian boogeyman scandal conveniently arises, thus prolonging their returns on the Russiagate narrative.

Am sure I read recently, apologies for not being able to supply a link, that Orbis was/is, funded by the Clinton Foundation. If that is so, there are obvious ramifications that greatly strengthen this line of thought.

one thing is a crime another a media crime. THE UN is part of the media// it does not make sense any theory for the russians is absurd.
reason is gathering europe against russia the result so far. the public that will be the question, for a orwellian realm.

Where was Skripal poisened ? If was first said at home,than at the Pub and now on the street bench ?
How is the poison given ? By diffusing ? Noboby else was touched ?? Do you know something about these facts ?

This one that I found on Craig’s Murray blog seems to be the most plausible so far:

N_:”Could he possibly have been working for the Berezovsky organisation?”

More likely for the Orbis, together with Pablo Miller and and Christoper Steele.

But this one was a very close Berezovsky friend, and “Nikolai Glushkov, 68, the right-hand man of the deceased oligarch Boris Berezovsky, Mr Putin’s one-time fiercest rival, was found dead at his London home on Monday.”

Seems to be likely that those two (Skripal and Glushkov) were used by the Orbis to get information for the Steele’s “Trump Dossier” through their old connections in Moscow.
Yulia Skripal was a go-between, a courier, because information of that kind was unlikely coming in and out via cell phones, it was delivered by a courier.
Now, as Steele is about to be brought to the US and to be questioned by various US Gov. organization, now is the time to do some cleaning. No information holders, no couriers, no witnesses – no problems whatsoever for the Orbis, for Christopher Steele, for Pablo Miller and others. No doubt there are plenty of cleaners working for the Orbis who can stage any kind of “poisoning”.

The important thing is to get a move-on preparing for when they snuff out the voice of opposition, the sources of truth, Consortium News, MoA, Craig Murray’s, SST, Saker’s, ZH, etc etc. Sre, there are many thousands of them, but what people (like us, I mean) tend to ignore is (1) how quick and easy is it to pull the plug on everything and (2) how atomised we will then be. The hardware is all in their control. You can be sure, the plans are well-advanced. In some cases, there may be rounding up or hounding of ring-leaders, troublemakes, (Murray, b, for ex.). But that’s not really necessary. Without the wires, masts and satellites, we’re instantly isolated from one another. Without communication, organisation is impossible. It is vital to be planning for operating as low-tech local, physical, small-group partisans, for pencil-and-paper, cleft stick, heliograph, whatever… to replace this virtual-group mutual back-slapping and hugging talkshop we mistake for organising.

We are told by the British that the Russians used a nerve agent that could be traced to them because Russia wanted all the ex-spies and oligarchs living in London to believe they were not safe from Russia.. However, this does not make a lick of sense. If Russia wanted to kill the ex-spy and set him up as an example and threat to others, Russia could have used the omnipresent arsenic, or a universally made nerve agent. Everyone would still believe it came from Russia, but no one would be able to “prove” it. By the west telling us they can “prove” it because a Russian nerve agent was used, the west can now impose “sanctions” onRussia. So what more did Russia want by using a nerve agent that can be “proven” to have come from them? It must have been those sanctions that Russia was after.

There are basically two areas of work that I would recommend that anyone who values their life and the safety of their family friends and loved ones to stay well away from….the first is major narco-trafficking (drug trade) ……somewhere down the line you’re looking at getting “whacked”

The second “profession” is the world of counter espionage and double/triple agents…… in this instance your are passing information back and forth….back and forth that has a value on it that’s worth as much if not more than gold/diamonds/oil etc (we’re talking billions if not trillions) and just like the drug world…. organisations (government mafias) will kill to protect what’s theirs…..it is a “seedy” underhanded profession where the art of the “conman” flourishes……(convince people that they can trust you and then betray them)

I am sickened by all the political and news media hypocrisy…….

Back in the early 90’s Russia was Mad Max land ….with lawyers/judges/politicians being whacked…..bankers being whacked…..businessmen being whacked……it was a free for all ….and the ones (oligarchs) who came out on top had to be ruthless……and what did the City Of London Corporation do with the help of “experts” from Harvard and Goldman Sachs……

They said to the billionaire/oligarchs….. “Come to London….bring all your converted roubles to the London Stock Exchange …..come and enjoy a lovely decadent life style as if you were a czar……and what’s more …..we don’t care how you got your money just as long as you come and spend/invest lots of it here”

Unfortunately “gangsters” (whether criminal or political) tend to remember and hold on to deep resentment and deadly grudges…..

If I worked for the Mexican drug cartels and I had given their accounting books to some other mafia (colombian/albanian/italian/Irish/etc etc etc) …in other words “sold-them-out” ….betrayed them…..then it doesn’t matter if I were to move to the moon or mars or pluto……the mexicans would not forget me and I could expect one day to receive a bullet (with my name on it) straight to the head……and in a sense it would be my own fault for choosing to get involved in a “profession” where killing is a common way of doing business….especially if I had betrayed a “boss” or cabal and made them look weak…stupid and easy to manipulate

So all the Hyperbole about “how dare someone kill someone on someone else’s soil” is just sensationalist tabloid journalistic outrage….it’s “faux” (false)…….it is meant to generate debates and arguments in pubs and in office buildings …….on factory floors and football stadium terraces…..in colleges and universities…etc

But let’s get real…… No one knows who did what to whom…. That is the nature of double dealing !

The general public is being told what to focus on……what to think about ….what to obsess about…….

One minute the greatest danger to life and limb is ISIS….then suddenly its’s North Korea…..then Donald Trump……then Harvey Weinstein and all those sexual predator men…….then it’s back to Russia Russia Russia…..soon enough we will be back on the the disintegrating European Union……then up will come another chosen topic of distraction…….

We are all supposed to be really shocked and horrified at nerve agents (chemical weapons) being used on the streets of the UK but let’s get some perspective….

The USA sprayed entire land regions in Vietnam with deadly agent orange…..and it is also well documented that the US (and UK) military has on many occasions tested biological weapons on their own population…..syphilis being just one example

(google the following statement : “US military tested chemical and biological weapons on their own population”)

An enlightening spy film to watch at this moment in time would be the “Ipcress file” starring Michael Caine where it turns out at the end of the film that the “enemy” is actually the intelligence officer that Harry Palmer works for….

Like I said before in the murky world of double/triple/quadruple agents “nobody knows who pulls whose chain”…..

All the news media outlets are saying it was obviously the FSB (Russian intelligence)…..

But perhaps it was another intelligence “cabal”….Maybe the chinese wanted to increase the war of words between russia and the west…..or mossad wanted to stir things up……maybe it was german intelligence or french…..perhaps the CIA…

For all we know it might have been MI5 killing one of their “pawns” (to use a chess metaphor) in order to frame the russian intelligence services and make them look bad….

“The same people who assured you Saddam Hussein had WMDs now assure you Russian ‘novichok’ nerve agents are being wielded by Vladimir Putin to attack people on British soil.”

NB: My father was a structural engineer ……one thing I learned was you can’t just throw a building or a structure up …..you first have to lay solid foundations…….the foundations for this Russo-phobia have been a long time in the laying ……

Strange coincidence that the BBC decided to produce a very slick …glamorous…. hard hitting international crime drama series called McMafia and this series got widespread publicity and was viewed by everyone from chattering classes… intelligentsia…to your average football fan on the terraces and the series painted a very dark picture of Russians and criminal activity……no sooner had this series finished airing than BOOM…..there it is …..the BBC were correct ….you can’t trust Russians..

Seems that Vladimir is simply hunting down anyone who may have links to the production of the Steel Dossier. And as had been reported in the United States, the narrative of the dossier has hardly collapsed

I have now received confirmation from a well placed FCO (UK Foreign Ministry) source that Porton Down (Ministry of Defense science laboratory) scientists are not able to identify the nerve gas as being of Russian manufacture, and have been resentful of the pressure being placed on them to do so.

Porton Down would only sign up to the formulation “of a type developed by Russia” after a rather difficult meeting where this was agreed as a compromise formulation. The Russians were allegedly researching, in the “Novichok” programme a generation of nerve agents which could be produced from commercially available precursors such as insecticides and fertilisers. This substance is a “novichok” in that sense. It is of that type. Just as I am typing on a laptop of a type developed by the United States, though this one was made in China.

Turns out that the former spy lives in a fairly high-crime area. Doing him serious harm in an ordinary way would have been easy, yet the evildoers chose to attack him in a manner which follows a UK pattern of maximizing “pain” for Russia. Odd how that happens. The link is to Craig Murray, a gentleman who seems to be keeping on top of this story.

This analysis ignores Russia’s history of punishing traitors who have escaped their jurisdiction by murder.
As far as cui bono, the message that you can’t betray Russia or Putin and escape the consequences no matter where you run to, might be perceived by them as a benefit. I am no fan of the DNC, Obama or the Clinton campaign, but this seems a bit of a stretch. However, Russia has demonstrated far more effective means of killing an individual on foreign soil than this clumsy nerve gas attack.

We may never know the truth of this. Too many interested parties willing to bend it.

All those exotic murders, alleged, in the western media. Where’s the evidence beside blind allegation. Why use such exotic methods that can be traced back to Russia? Nemstov was dramatically assassinated in front of the Kremlin on CCTV! So much drama. Who is stage managing all these “assassinations”. After Berezovski’s “suicide” a letter was found begging Putin to forgive him and allow him back into Russia. Like the Russian oligarch community in London all just freedom loving exiles. It is truly amazing how propaganda works on a gullible humanity. Walter Lippman, much quoted by Goebbels, would be so proud.

As you have observed, people interested in assassination would use a proven and effective method, and there is no shortage of those. The choice of “uniquely Russian” chemical fits a certain narrative and policy that can use that time of incident, namely that “evil axis” consists of people who get some sinister pleasure from the use of “brutal methods”, however ineffective militarily or operationally. Thinking about it, Iran and North Korea could be accused too. One may also recall the final official version of anthrax attacks in USA. Initially, I was extremely surprised because “lethal powder” did not fit my prior knowledge that anthrax bacteria have to be spread with an aerosol. But American labs developed a much better version! And one scientist was disgruntled because of budget cuts to the program. Who knows, perhaps some workers of English weapon labs have some grudges too.

It must be pointed out that it was not the Soviet Union that destroyed its stocks of chemical weapons. The chemical weapons were manufactured in Soviet Uzbekistan and upon the fall of the Soviet Union it was the United States that disposed of the chemical agents, or not. Need I say more. This part of the story cannot be repeated often enough.